Question

How many optical isomers does Glucose have?

Answer 1

Glucose:

1. Optical isomers are compounds that have the same molecular formula, same structural formula but different spatial arrangements of atoms in space such that they are non-super-imposable mirror images of each other.
2. For optical activity, a compound must contain a chiral Carbon atom.
3. A chiral Carbon that is attached to four different atoms or groups of atoms is called chiral Carbon.
4. Glucose has a molecular formula ${\mathrm{C}}_6{\mathrm{H}}_{12}{\mathrm{O}}_6$
5. In glucose, there are four chiral Carbon atoms.
6. The total number of optical isomers of any compound is $2^{\mathrm{n}}$, where, $\mathrm{n}$ is the number of chiral Carbon atoms.
7. Therefore, the total number of optical isomers of Glucose is $2^4=16$

Hence, there is a total of 16 optical isomers of Glucose.